


i confide in wolves at night

by agentmmayy



Series: promptober [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Full Shift Werewolves, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 13:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21036800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentmmayy/pseuds/agentmmayy
Summary: Separated from the team after a mission gone wrong, May and Phil spend the night in a safehouse though May's wolf isn't too thrilled with it.





	i confide in wolves at night

**Author's Note:**

> I just really really wanted some soft!philinda with overly protective wolf may so this happened. written for promptober day 24: werewolf

Melinda reluctantly stepped out of the shower, shivering as cold air met her skin. She quickly wrapped a towel around herself, grimacing at the slightly musty smell to it. Then again, it wasn't like safe houses had regular laundry service. At least this one  _ had  _ towels. 

Gripping the towel, May leaned toward the mirror. It was steamed up from the shower she took, so she rubbed a circle through it with her fist. She stared back at herself, blurred by the steam forming again. Melinda noted the dark shadows under her eyes and the stress lines around her mouth and on her forehead. Unfortunately, she was used to seeing those. Melinda dropped her gaze to the fresh cut high on her cheekbone and raised a hand to press careful fingertips to it. Her lips pulled into a wince at the sting. It was already beginning to heal, the ends knitting together in a thin pink line. By the morning, it would be gone. If she shifted, it would disappear faster. Then again, it wasn't that big of a deal. With the night they had, Melinda was lucky a small cut, and a few bruises were all she got away with.

By now, the bathroom was at a bearable temperature, warmed by the steam from the shower. May started at her reflection until it clouded over. She quickly brushed her teeth, not caring that it was the same brush Phil used and rinsed her mouth. Melinda didn't bother to brush her hair. They didn't have a brush, but she also didn't have the energy. Exhaustion sank deep in her bones, settling in with the last bits of adrenaline as it faded. Normally, it was easier to unwind after a mission, but Melinda remained high strung. The shower helped a little, but the back of her neck still prickled with unease. A familiar itch that started when the mission went to shit grew stronger at the base of her spine. She wanted to shift. Her wolf nudged at her to do so. What was holding her back? Even though this was a new place, Melinda knew she was safe. She could shift if she wanted to. 

May glanced to the mirror again. It was clear now, displaying her towel wrapped figure. She studied herself before dropping the towel and going down with it. Shifting made the bruises she received that night more apparent. Melinda winced at the pain though it was over in seconds. She stared down at her paws before rocking up on all four of them.

Her fur was still wet, dripping onto the floor as her hair had. She glanced at the towel on the rug before the sink. It wasn't like she could pick it up and dry herself off. There was only one other way to get dry. Melinda braced herself before shaking. The sensation began at the top of her head and traveled to the tip of her tail. Water splattered against the walls, shower doors, cabinets, and mirror, but Melinda didn't care. All she cared about was getting dry. Melinda snuffled, shaking a few last droplets of water from the tip of her nose before stilling. She wasn't completely dry, but it would do.

Melinda walked over to the door, raising onto her back legs and using her paws to open it. She stepped out into the hallway, feeling her fur cool against the air. Though Phil turned the heat on when they got there it was taking its time warming the house. Melinda huffed. She hated being cold, and she hated safe houses. Being cold in one was the worst.

Her ears pricked up at Phil's voice. It drifted down the hallway from the only bedroom, almost too low for a human to hear but not a wolf. Melinda listened. It sounded like he was talking to the team. A low whine built in the back of her throat. She wanted to talk to the team too or at least see them, but she needed to check the rest of the house first.

When she and Phil reached the safe house earlier, they did a perimeter check and cleared all the rooms. They found nothing. It hadn't been touched since whoever was there last, but May wanted to double-check. She lingered, listening to Phil talk for a moment longer before turning down the other end of the hallway.

The safehouse was small, a one-bedroom, one bath with a tiny living room, and even tinier kitchen. It was clean, as clean as a safe house unused after who knew how long could be. Melinda sneezed as her paws kicked dust up. She shook her head, grumbling a little before moving on.

One thing she didn't like about the safe house was that it didn’t smell right. There was no faint scent of Simmons' post-dinner tea in the kitchen or lingering metallic hint from Fitz and Mack tinkering. She couldn't smell Bobbi's perfume on the couch or find traces of Hunter's shampoo. Daisy’s hand lotion didn’t fill the air. This place didn’t smell like pack. Melinda hated it. But it would do. It was better than a dirty motel room. Besides, Phil’s scent was slowly beginning to seep into the house, which helped put Melinda at ease.

She quickly finished checking the rest of the house. Nothing changed from earlier, but Melinda still kept her guard up. Phil wasn't in any shape to fight off anyone who possibly followed them. Melinda would take care of anyone who dared to cross the threshold or find another way to enter the house. It was her job to keep Phil safe. She needed to take care of him.

When she reached the bedroom, Melinda couldn't hear his voice. She nudged the door open with her nose, peeking in before stepping through. Phil sat stiffly on the bed, phone in hand. He looked tired, weary from the day. As Melinda entered, Phil glanced up, brows lifting in both surprise and delight as he saw her.

“Hey.”

May didn't make a sound in reply though her tail gave a few wags. She walked to Phil, stopping at his feet. Melinda pushed her head between his knees, nosing at the bandage wrapped around his thigh with a whine.

Phil laughed under his breath. He laid a hand on Melinda's head, thumb stroking the short, soft fur on the ridge of her nose. "I'm fine."

He wasn't fine. He got  _ shot _ . Grazed, to be more exact. Melinda cleaned the wound and stitched him up earlier, as well as forced him to take the few pain relievers they found in the first aid kit that weren't expired. It wasn’t the best of care, but it would do until the team arrived. For now, Melinda could make sure Phil didn’t develop an infection and rested. 

She pushed at his uninjured leg with her nose, shoving his knee against the bed.

"What?" Phil asked. "You want me to lay down?" Melinda huffed. "Okay, okay." He gingerly laid down, letting out a sigh as he leaned back against the pillows. Phil glanced at Melinda, who hadn’t taken her eyes off him. "Happy?"

Melinda whuffed. Yes, she was happy. Phil needed to rest.

He patted the empty space beside him. "Come here."

Without hesitating, May jumped onto the bed. Careful to avoid Phil's injured leg, she curled against his other side, placing herself between him and the door. Melinda rested her head on Phil's chest with a content sigh. Nothing compared to being on a bed in her wolf form, even if it was a firm rickety one like this. Melinda guessed it was a dog thing. But, snuggling up to someone felt great in either form, something Melinda did most as a wolf. She always used her wolf as an excuse for cuddles, even though by now everyone saw past it.

Phil draped an arm over her torso, making a disgruntled sound as his fingers came in contact with damp fur. He then sighed. “Tell me you didn’t get the walls wet." Melinda blinked at him. "Did you at least hang up your towel?”

She grunted. Phil sighed again. "Really?"

Really. Melinda wasn't going to apologize, either. The towel smelled terrible. So did the old shirt Phil had on. Whoever stocked the safe house at least made sure there were two pairs of underwear, soft shorts, and a t-shirt, but everything was musty after sitting for so long. Even so, Melinda rested her head on Phil’s chest, ears twitching with his heartbeat. In this form, she could hear it more clearly. It was different than it had been before New York. Melinda loved the sound nonetheless. 

Looking to the phone still in Phil’s hand, Melinda nudged it with her nose. Phil glanced at it as if he just realized it was there. He reached over to set the phone down on the side table. "Yeah, I talked to them.” Melinda tried and failed to appear disinterested. “They’re fine,” Phil reassured her. “They're all back at the base. Daisy has to ice her wrists, and Bobbi's knee is in the brace again, but no one else is hurt."

At the thought of one of her pack and her pup hurt, Melinda whined. She should be there with them. All of them should be together. Pack shouldn’t be separated. 

"They said they'd come to get us around nine tomorrow."

Melinda sighed. That was almost twelve hours from now. 

The mission started out fine. It was supposed to be a simple milk run with Daisy, Hunter, Bobbi, Trip, Phil, and Melinda. But they'd been outnumbered, even with Daisy's powers. After Phil got shot, Melinda made a quick decision and split up from the team. She was more experienced than they were; she could take more out, even with an injured Phil on her hands, while they focused on getting away. Melinda remembered Daisy's fear when they split up and whined again.

“They’re fine.” Phil shifted, rolling his eyes at Melinda’s huff of disapproval. He dug around in his pants pocket for a moment before bringing out a black hair band, holding it out to Melinda. “Here.”

Leaning forward, Melinda cautiously sniffed the item.  _ Daisy _ . Immediately, she felt herself begin to relax. It was one of Daisy’s hair bands. Ever since Daisy started growing her hair out, she brought one wherever she went, annoyed at how her hair kept getting in the way. Phil recently took to stashing some in his pocket for when Daisy forgot one. Some of Daisy’s scent still clung to the thin fabric. Melinda greedily rubbed her nose against it, whining. She missed her pup. 

Phil, who was watching Melinda, gave her a soft, sad smile. “She’s okay,” he reassured her. “She misses you too.” He rolled the hairband down his wrist and used that hand to pet Melinda’s fur. She whuffed happily.

"You know," Phil began. "As safe houses go, this one isn't so bad." Melinda gave him an incredulous look that translated even through her canine features. "Hey, we could have one like Kentucky again."

Melinda's lips curled up in disgust. Even on the worst days, she didn’t want to think about the centipede infested safe house. 

He laughed. "See? It could be worse.” With a grumble, Melinda lowered her head back on Phil’s chest, huffing at him until he resumed petting her. “I know it doesn't smell like home."

It didn't. It smelled like Phil, though. His scent, along with Daisy's faint one, was enough. Melinda nuzzled at Phil’s chest, wiggling to tuck her nose against where his skin peeked out of the collar of the shirt. She let out a content sigh as Phil shifted the hand that was petting her up to her neck, digging against the spot that never failed to make her eyes roll back. Melinda was vaguely aware of her tail thumping against the bed and Phil’s leg. Her mind clouded with the euphoric pleasure of Phil’s nimble fingers. He kneaded the muscle there, digging his blunt fingernails ever so slightly into her skin. Melinda barely managed to restrain her leg from kicking. 

After a few minutes of the massaging, Phil sunk his fingers deeper into her now dry, silky black fur. “I’ve missed having you around.”

Melinda rolled her eyes as if to say  _ I’m right here _ . 

“You know what I mean," he said. "You in this form." Pausing, Phil scratched the top of Melinda’s head before commenting, "Now I get why Fitz wanted a dog so much.”

Playfully, Melinda nipped at Phil's fingers. He yelped before chuckling and resuming his petting. A slow smile spread across his face, making the edges of his tired eyes crinkle. When Melinda looked at him inquisitively, Phil said, “I like seeing you relaxed like this.”

She liked seeing Phil relaxed too. Melinda turned her head, nose nudging against Phil’s wrist. He dropped a kiss to her muzzle. Before he could pull back, Melinda swiftly licked his cheek. Phil snorted, nose scrunching in disgust. “Thanks.”

Melinda licked his chin again, as if to say  _ you’re welcome _ but mostly to see Phil grimace and turn his head away. She always teased him about how he loved her human kisses but couldn’t handle her wolf ones. 

Finally, the adrenaline from the mission went away. Phil yawned. They both shifted, moving into a more comfortable position that involved Melinda practically draping herself over Phil. She stayed away from his injured leg but pressed close. Her wolf form was heavy, but Phil didn’t complain. He grunted, trying to find a comfortable position for his neck, and lifted to shove the blanket that had bunched under his back to his waist. 

That wouldn’t do. Melinda drew the blanket back up with her teeth, laying it over Phil with a huff.

"I don't need it," he insisted, pushing it down. “You’re a furnace.”

She growled, low and non-threatening. 

“You want me to overheat?”

_ No _ . She wanted Phil to stay  _ warm _ . The house still wasn’t warm enough for him yet. Melinda didn’t want him to get sick, especially not with the way his leg was. 

“Fine. Fine.” Phil pulled the blanket up, draping it over both himself and Melinda. “You’re even bossier like this.”

_ He  _ was the bossy one. But, Melinda was too tired to argue. So was Phil. Yawning, he lifted one arm out from under the blanket to lay across his stomach, fingers twining in Melinda’s fur. She tucked her nose to Phil’s wrist, where both his and Daisy’s scents were, eyes sliding shut as they enveloped her. It didn’t compare to cuddling with the two of them, but it was better than nothing. The familiarity helped soothe Melinda’s mind enough for her stiff shoulders to lose their tension. 

“Night.” He pressed a brief kiss to the space between her eyes, thumb following the touch of his lips. “Love you.”

She tucked her nose further against his skin in reply. Melinda couldn’t speak but knew Phil understood her. He always had in both human and wolf form. Phil continued to pet her, strokes gradually slowing until his breathing evened out, and his hand stilled. May didn’t move for a moment or two. She wanted to make sure Phil was fully asleep before she did. When minutes passed, and a familiar snort-snore left Phil, May nosed at his wrist once more before turning her head to the doorway. She’d hear any movements even outside of the house, but the wolf insisted. By now, Melinda had learned to listen to her wolf, at least in most circumstances. Melinda’s first instinct was always to protect the ones she loved. The wolf only heightened it. 

When she moved, May felt Phil’s fingers tighten in her fur out of reflex before loosening. Melinda let out a soft sigh, eyes slipping closed as she followed Phil into sleep with his heartbeat beneath her ear. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
